whitewolffandomcom-20200213-history
Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is a Totem of the Amazon. Overview Ayahuasca is also known as Jagé or Jajé. He resides in ("owns") a hallucinogenic shaman's brew made in South America. Chief ingredients of this brew are the vine of banisteriopsis caapi, chacruna leaves, and other tree barks (depending on the medicinal properties desired). The bark is scraped from these ingredients and boiled for hours, eventually producing ayahuasca. The word comes from the Quechua people. It is also known as the "vine of the soul," the "vine of the dead," or the "vine of the little death" for the visionary, mystical "death" a shaman undergoes when being initiated by the drug. After preparation, the ayahuascero blows tobacco into the bottle the brew has been poured into. This cleanses it of bad spirits, purifying the brew for those who will ingest it. Following ingestion, the foul-tasting brew causes violent vomiting. Once this has passed, the visions begin. Ayahuasca can take the user out of their body and travel anywhere in the world with her to look upon (but not interact with) people or places they wish to see. Sometimes, this out of body experience is done with the aid of real animals, as the ayahuascero shares the body, and thus the senses, of an animal journeying to the desired area, such as a bird or snake. Ayahuasca usually befriends its users to the jungle, matching their rhythms to it. Afterward, travel through the jungle is much easier in little ways: roots do not seem to trip, leaves do not need to be hacked aside, and, most importantly, insects do not become a bother. Insects refuse to bite an ayahuascero in the throes of the drug. For these reasons, ayahuasca has become a popular drug among the Garou Theurges in the Amazon War. Little is known to the Garou about the spirit itself. The native Uktena in the Amazon know much they do not tell, saying that Ayahuasca will only reveal as much of himself to his children as he desires. If someone wants to know more, they must ask Ayahuasca, which means taking the drug. What is known is that the drug is intimately tied to the ecology and mystical power of the jungle. It is thought by some to be the personified manifestation of the jungle itself, a union of all low-level spirit consciousness of the Umbrascape. That would explain the non-local knowledge and travel ability of those who experience the drug. The Balam are said to know the most about Ayahuasca, but since they are on bad terms with the Garou, they do not reveal what they know. Many Garou war leaders in the Amazon have forbidden use of ayahuasca by their troops, fearing that the drug is aligned in some ways with the werejaguars and that they can use it to wreak some form of spiritual revenge on the Garou, perhaps by leading their ayahuasceros astray in the deep jungle. There has been no basis for these fears, though. * Attitude: Friendly Image Ayahuasca is often perceived as a giant snake, usually an anaconda, but some see a female werejaguar in Crinos form (called the Jaguar Mother, initiator of shamans). Multiple snakes encountered during an Ayahuasca vision may also be Ayahuasca him/herself. Habitat Steamy jungles are preferred, but Ayahuasca is anywhere his children are when they take the heady shaman's brew. Traits & Ban * Background Cost: 8 for Fera, 4 for Nunnehi or Mages Traits Children of Ayahuasca (Ayahuasceros) gain three points of Gnosis (Medicine, Quintessence) per story. They also learn Survival 2 and Occult 3 (they may thus possess more than 5 dots in Occult). Ban An Ayahuascero's spiritual energy (Gnosis, Arete, Medicine) becomes "delicate." A botch rolling this trait will cause a loss of a permanent point of the trait. The ayahuascero is said to have "lost knowledge" and must work to gain it back. Correspondances Spiritual Occult, spiritual energies, survival (jungle), and jungle lore. Material The ayahuasca brew, made of many different jungle vine barks. In addition, tobacco must be used to purify the brew before ingesting; otherwise, Ayahuasca may not be able to protect the ayahuascero from all the bad spirits. Gift Lore When on an ayahuasca journey, his children will encounter spirits sent by the Totem to perceive the occult world and many secrets of magic. Some example Garou Gifts would include Sense Magic (Uktena, level 1), Preternatural Awareness (Stargazer, level 4), and Dreamspeak (Galliard, level 2). Nunnehi may learn insights into Spirit Link or the Fae Realm. Taboos It is not wise to treat snakes or jaguars badly while on an ayahuasca journey. These animals are considered allies on the path, and they may abandon those who harm or try to harm them. Chiminage Ayahuasca asks nothing in return for his visionary gift. However, after taking the drug multiple times, the ayahuascero will feel a natural inclination to defend the jungle from harm and will not actively attempt to harm it. Cutting down vines or gathering necessary materials does not constitute harm, although building a dam or hydroelectric plant does. References # WTA. Axis Mundi: The Book of Spirits, pp. 120-121. Category:Nunnehi (CTD) Category:Totems (WOD) Category:Spirit beings (WTA)